Marlboro cigarettes

This slender packet of four Marlboro cigarettes was made for Air New Zealand to give to its international passengers. Smoking was restricted to certain parts of the plane, but it was impossible to prevent smoke from drifting through the cabin. Branded ashtrays were provided by Air New Zealand, and many seat arms included an in-built metal-lidded ashtray.

Smoking was finally banned on all New Zealand international flights from 1 January 1997.

Health concerns

There are no health warnings on this packaging. Smoking was initially considered therapeutic, and acceptable in most public spaces, but by the 1950s international research had established the link between smoking and lung cancer. New Zealand's Department of Health published its first warning against smoking in 1945, but generally, the government was slow to control the tobacco industry. Tobacco consumption peaked in 1953.

From 1963, advertising campaigns began. Health warnings on cigarette packets appeared from 1974. Control programmes started in 1984 (the year in which Māori had the highest rates of lung cancer in the world). Numbers of smokers dropped.

In 1990, the Smoke-free Environments Act was passed. Air New Zealand banned smoking on domestic flights that year.